Mediterranean Dietary Lifestyle Change

Main menu

Tea’s

Tea’s are earning a place in our diet as the secret’s of health and longetivy are revealed to us from the Continent of Asia. A brief description on the following 6 popular tea’s will help you identify one that you can sip and enjoy.

WHITE TEA is light and mild in taste and considered to be good for your health. According to the researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, white tea may be used to fight cancer as well as acting as a deterrent. The tea is nowadays mostly grown in the Fujian Province and there are generally two major producing counties, Zheng He and Fuding.

“Kava Kava Tea….has been used to treat anxiety/nervous disorders, migraines, hyperactivity in children, insomnia, menstrual cramps, UTI and bladder problems. Kava was used by the Germans in the 1890s for pharmaceuticals relating to blood pressure; before then, it was utilized by the Polynesians”, based on collected research at A 2 Z Health, Beauty and Fitness.

Black Teaimproves circulation, by opening the capillaries and normalizing blood pressure (bp). Benefits are noticed by simply drinking 2 cups of black tea 2x’s a day for 3 weeks. Additional benefits are contributed to the theophylline in black tea that helps improve cholesterol levels. It also has been known to expand the airways, improving on easier breathing for asthmatics. Black tea also helps with preventing tooth decay due to the Fluoride, a trace element found in black tea, which strengthens tooth enamel.

Oolong Tea burns over 157% more fat than Green Tea and has become the most popular tea designed to accelerate weigh loss!!! Drinking two cups of Oolong tea every day helps shed stubborn pounds by boosting your metabolism and blocking the fattening effects of carbohydrates. It has also been linked to improving the function of the pancreas with those who suffer from diabetes.

GREEN TEA

A few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

From About.com…”The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, without harming healthy tissue, promotes cellular DNA and membrane structure, ( Great for Acne). It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox.” For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don’t other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases. Read More

“Itadori Teaand red wine both supply relatively high concentrations of resveratrol,” states the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry. Furthemore their studies have shown that, “For people who do not consume alcohol, Itadori tea may be a suitable substitute for red wine.” More studies are being done on Itadori Tea to better understand the effects and benefits of it on the body, as well as, how the non-flavonoid resveratrol contibutes to ones overall health.